Stirrup



(No Model.)

L. D. OROARK.

` STIRRUP. No. 334,976. PatentedJan, Z6, 1886.

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UNITED STATES PATENT EErcE.

LRENZA DOV OROARK, OF LOUISA, KENTUCKY.

STIRRUP.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 334,976, dated January216, 1856.

Application filed June 9, 1885. Serial No. 168,145. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, LOEENZA Dow OROARK, a citizen of the -United States,and a resident of Louisa, Lawrence county, and State of Kentucky, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Stirrups; and I dohereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exactdescription of the invention, which will enable others skilled in theart to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being hadto the accompanying drawings, which form a part of this speci-Jrication, and in which- Figure l is a perspective view of my improvedstirrup. Fig. 2 is a side view of the same, showing the foot-pieceunfastened from its catch. Fig. 3 is a view of the under side of thestirrup, and Fig. 4 is a detail view of the hinged cross-bar orfoot-piece.

Similar letters of reference indicate corre sponding parts in all thefigures.

My invention has relation to stirrups; and it consists in theconstruction of a stirrup with a hinged foot-piece and a spring adaptedto engage and lock said foot-piece when the stirrup is in use in such amanner that the rider may unlock the foot-piece with his foot when hedesires to disinount, and whereby he can readily disengage his foot fromthe stirrup if he should be thrown, thus avoiding the danger of beingdragged by the stirrups.

In I[he accompanying drawings, A denotes p the stirrup-fork, which maybe of any desired shape and material, either wood or metal.

B is the lower cross-bar or foot-piece, the upper side of which isnotched or serrated, as usual, so as to give the sole of the boot a firmfoothold and prevent it from slipping. This foot-piece is hinged at C toone of the arms of the fork A, and has at its other end a catch or lockconsisting of the aperture D and notch E. The fork-arm on thecorresponding` side of the stirrnp is provided with a lock consisting oftwo downwardly-projecting hooks or catches, D and E, adapted to engageand interlock with the aperture D and notch E, respectively.

Upon the front side of the stirrup, on that arm which has thedownwardly-projecting lock D E', is fastened a spring, F, the lower freeend of which projects a little below the arm, so as to bear against thefront side of the hinged foot-piece B when this is in its closedposition. Thus it will be seen that this spring prevents the footpiecefrom slipping out of or becoming disengaged from the catches D and E',with which it interlocks, so that the foot-piece is connected to thefork A as rmly as if it were made in one piece therewith. At the sametime, when the rider desires to dismount orto release his feet from thestirrups he can do so in a moment of time by tilting his foot in such amanner as to press with the toe against the upper part or arch of thestirrup, and pressing with the heel against the rear edge of thefoot-piece, which, forcing the latter against the spring, presses thesame outwardly, and thus disengages the aperture D and notch E from thetwo hooks or catches D'and E', when the foot-piece will of its ownweight drop down into the position shown in dotted lines in Fig. 2.

For the purpose of permitting the hinged i`ootpiece to readily becomedisengaged from the lock, it should have sufficient play at the hingeorjoint C to move sidewise a little.

lfthe stirrup is made of wood, the hinge and also the catch and thatportion of the hinged foot-piece with which the catch engages may beironed to add to its strength by covering said parts with thin platesot' iron or other suitable sheet metal, said plates being cut of a shapeto conform to the shapes of the parts which they are to strengthen andprotect.

Having thus described my invention, I claim and desire to secure byLetters Patent of the United States- The combination, with thestirrup-fork, one arm of which is provided with a recess forming twoplain projections, the other arm being provided with a notch and arecess forming two notched projections, of a foot-piece hinged withinsaid plain projections at one end, and provided at the other end with anaperture and a notch engaging with the notched projections of the armofthe stirrup-fork, and a spring secured to one of said arms andextending below the bottom of said arm, substantially as and for thepurpose set forth.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereuntoaffixed my signature in presence of' two witnesses.

A LORENZA DOWV GROARK. Vitnesses:

M. REMMELE,

JOHN M. CLAYTON.

IOO

